I Am A Survivor of Domestic Violence

I hope most of you have never experienced domestic violence from a spouse, partner, child, or loved one. Have never had to feel extreme anxiety not knowing what their behavior & actions would be from day to day. Not having to rebuild your life and find who you are after getting free from the abuser.  

Many of us aren’t as fortunate. The survivors of domestic violence can highly benefit from the money you choose to donate today.

My daughters and I are asking for your support in our fundraiser for LSS CHOICES for Victims of Domestic Violence, the only domestic violence shelter in Franklin County providing emergency shelter, 24 hour crisis hotline, DV counseling, and more.

Your gift will have a tremendous impact.  It will help victims regain their freedom from domestic violence and rebuild their lives.

Here is our story and why we want to advocate so strongly for Domestic Violence Survivors: 

My daughters and I were abused by a man we trusted & loved; my husband / their father.  My ex-husband repeatedly abused me.  As a result, he was removed from our home many times by local police and spent time in jail, addiction rehabilitation centers, a mental health ward, etc…

His acts of violence extended beyond our home and hurt the lives of other family members, those in his work places, as well as those in our community.  Eventually, my daughters and I ended our relationships with him. I’ve known him since I was 14 yrs old so that was difficult. 

In 2024, my sister & my partner supported me & my daughters as we faced him in court.  The anxiety my daughters and I felt was overwhelming.  He asked the judge to expunge his multiple Domestic Violence/jail records.  That felt like a terrible slap in the face.  I thought: "You want to erase what you did to me & my daughters?  Pretend it didn’t happen?  We were your family!"

We wrote letters to the court describing the 20+ years of abuse and the lifelong effects it will have on each of us.  He was given our letters to read prior to walking into the courtroom and not once did he apologize or show remorse.    

Domestic Violence oftern cuases lifelong trauma, PTSD, severe anxiety, fear of abandonment, trust issues, relationship problems, etc.  I went through extensive counseling and PTSD therapy in order to start healing and to find myself again.  I learned that speaking out would help me heal and may help others speak out as well. It’s been a long and grueling process but my therapist was incredible and I’m forever grateful for him.

My daughters are strong, kind, wise beyond their ages, empathetic, intelligent, beautiful woman inside and out, inspirational, funny, and passionate.  They love hard and are fierce spirited.  They are survivors!  I would not be who I am without them.  

Thank you for reading our story and for giving what you can to support this cause. 

Gennifer